COS 116: The Computational Universe Adam Finkelstein Spring
2012
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COS 116: The Computational Universe Instructor: Adam
Finkelstein TAs: Sema Berkiten & Sourindra Chaudhuri Labs Mon,
Wed 7:30-10:20pm, Friend 009 This week only: take-home lab
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Ancient dream: Breathe life into matter Philippe Semeria Golem
(Jewish mythology) CIMA museum Automaton (Europe) Frankenstein
(Shelley 1818) Robot (Capek 1920)
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Breathe life into matter Another perspective
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Breathe life into matter A 20 th century perspective Matter:
Atoms, molecules, quantum mechanics, relativity Life: Cells,
nucleus, DNA, RNA, Breathe life into matter: Computation One
interpretation: Make matter do useful, interesting things on its
own
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Breathing life into matter Military was a major sponsor of
computational research in 20 th century
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Electric Sheep Scott Draves
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Computational Universe
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Some important distinctions Computer Sciencevs. Computer
Programming (Java, C++, etc.) Notion of computation vs. Specific
implementation (Silicon, robots, Xbox, etc.)
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Course not about programming! Not necessary for understanding
More time for to cover computer science (broader than COS126!)
Little advantage to those who have prior programming
experience
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Brief history of computation Technological: Clocks Clockwork
Automata Mechanized looms, steam engines Vacuum tubes, electronic
calculators (1910-1930s) ENIAC (1945) von Neumann Computer (1949,
Princeton)
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Brief history of computation Intellectual Ancient Greeks,
philosophers (How to formalize thought) Boolean logic (G. Boole,
1815-1864) Crisis in math Hilbert: Call to systematize math Gdel:
Incompleteness theorem Lambda calculus (A. Church, 1936) Turing
machines (A. Turing, 1937) Both at Princeton; First clear notion of
What is computation? Wang tiles 1961
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Computer Science: A new way of looking at the world
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Example 1:
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Example 2: Public closed-ballot elections Hold an election in
this room Everyone speaks publicly (no computers, email, etc.) End:
everyone agrees on who won and margin No one knows how anyone else
voted Is this possible? Yes! (A. Yao, Princeton)
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Example 3:Computational Biology Old Biology New Biology
Microarrays Pathways
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COS 116 First 10 lectures: Cool things computers do and how
Next 8 lectures: Whats inside, internet, silicon chips Last 6
lectures: Complexity, cryptography, viruses, search engines,
artificial intelligence
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This weeks lab: Web 2.0 Take-home lab see course web page. This
weeks reading: Brooks pp 12-21, pp 32-51 See course web page.
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Grading Midterm: 15% Final: 35% Lab reports: 35% Participation
(class, blog): 15% Attendance expected at lectures and labs
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Next couple labs: Scribbler. What determines its behavior?